"We PARTY WITH BOMBAY SAPPHIRE GIN"

It’s that time of year, when the groovy people of Hollywood and the indie world descend on downtown New York and make magic happen!

Covering the films is fun but covering the parties, well, that’s an added bonus.

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin knows how to throw a party. Point in fact, the exclusive Tribeca Film Festival after party for “Meadowland” -- starring Olivia Wilde, Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Elisabeth Moss (directed by Reed Morano) hosted at the PH-D Rooftop Lounge at Dream Downtown Hotel in NYC rocked the house.

The weather is cooperating with the creative community so the Rooftop Lounge (at Dream Downtown Hotel) was the perfect spot for power couple, Olivia Wilde and fiancé Jason Sudeikis (who also has two films premiering during TFF: Sleeping with Other People and Tumbledown) to let their “hair” down and enjoy the stylish affair with close friends and stars.

Arriving arm in arm, the Wilde-ly in love pair celebrated their date night out in full fashion as they discussed their upcoming movies and birthday plans for their son Otis turning 1 on Monday (4/20).

Guests of the intimate 150-person party mingled and swilled speciality BOMBAY SAPPHIRE cocktails while enjoying music spun by the talented DJ. In honor of Wilde’s new film, artisanal elixirs were studded with blue gems to emulate the star’s exotic Sapphire blue eyes.

Notable guests included: Olivia Wilde, Jason Sudeikis, Giovanni Ribisi, Ty Simpkins, Harvey Weinstein, Reed Morano, Steve Guttenberg, Bobby Cannavale, Mark Feuerstein, James Dolan, among others.

“Manos Sucias” directed by Josef Wladyka and executive produced by Spike Lee

Uploaded by Manos Sucias on 2015-03-19.

During the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, director and screenwriter Josef Wladyka’s, “Manos Sucias” won the Best New Narrative Director and an Audience Award at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.  The film has opened in New York. 

“Manos Sucias” was executive produced by Spike Lee, who was also Wladyka’s professor at NYU.

“Manos Sucias” is written by director Wladyka and Alan Blanco.  The taunt thriller explores the dangerous city of Buenaventura, Colombia, and is a harrowing tale of three men who embark on a journey over the dark murky waters of the Pacific. 

A set of mysterious coordinates is their guide, a fishing net is their cover, and a narco-torpedo filled with 100kg of cocaine is their cargo. 

Following estranged brothers as they risk everything for a chance at a better life, “Manos Sucias” takes a close look at life at the bottom of the food chain in the international drug trade. 

Wladyka cast tremendously gifted newcomers including Cristian James Advincula, Jarlin Martinez, Hadder Blandon, and Manuel David Riascos.

myNewYorkeye: What were the biggest challenges in making this movie?

Josef Kubota Wladyka: There were so many challenges to overcome while making this film, but one of the biggest was figuring out how to shoot in Buenaventura.   Buenaventura is a city on the Pacific Coast of Colombia plagued with many social/political issues.  Our core team, myself, Alan Blanco, Elena Greenlee, and Márcia Nunes, knew that if we were to make a film there we had to come in with the right attitude and a certain sensitivity in order to be welcomed.  There is no film infrastructure in Buenaventura so we encouraged the people in the community to act in and crew on the film. What at first seemed liked a challenge, turned into a beautiful collaboration with the people of Buenaventura.  As one of the most hot and humid areas in the world, the physical act of making this film was also another major obstacle.  Filming on boats, through thick jungles, and in other rough terrain taxed us emotionally and physically.

myNewYorkeye: Your producers are also from the NYU film program.  What’s it like, as a director, to work with a good producer?

Josef Kubota Wladyka: Good producers are such a crucial part of making a film. I had the privilege of working with Elena Greenlee and Márcia Nunes, two incredibly dedicated producers whose resilience in the face of challenges amazed me.  They brought so much to the project, especially from a creative standpoint. 

I always leaned on them not just for the logistical aspects of the film, but also collaborating with creative decisions.  They both have great taste and have an extremely important quality that I think all producers need… they are honest.  As a filmmaker you need people to be 100% honest with you all the time to keep you grounded.  So much of the success of this film is credited to the two of them.  They truly are badass. 

myNewYorkeye: How has your style changed since making the movie?

Josef Kubota Wladyka: I’m not sure if my style has changed because I haven’t made another movie yet, but I hope it doesn’t change too much.  I want to try to keep telling stories that are compelling, exciting, and emotionally moving.

myNewYorkeye: What are the central themes - to you – and why did you take such risks in telling this compelling story? 

Josef Kubota Wladyka: The main theme for me is the loss of innocence.  In Buenaventura there are so many young kids that get caught up in this cycle of the drug trade. I think at the end of the film it is clear that Delio is now forever a part of this world.  He lost his innocence by taking another life and in essence he is killing himself. Jacobo has been trapped in this cycle and at the end of the film, as he looks to his younger brother in the boat, he knows he is now trapped in it forever too.

We all took so many risks telling this story because we wanted to create an authentic and real film.  We wanted to show a part of the drug trade that people rarely see and we wanted to do it in the real place with the real people. Through making this film, we witnessed the resilience of the human spirit even when faced with hardship. We learned that the drug trade is a complex system that affects more than just the people directly involved in it.  We learned that those involved often times don't have a choice.  For us, it was worth all the risks. 

myNewYorkeye: What do you love best as a story teller?

Josef Kubota Wladyka: Being able to explore and learn about new worlds and show them to an audience.

myNewYorkeye: What’s the best advice that you’ve ever received, from anyone, that you apply to your life and work? 

Josef Kubota Wladyka: I often find that the best advice is the most simple.  For me, it came from Spike Lee… “Get it done, by any means necessary.” 

myNewYorkeye: What’s next, talented fellow? 

Josef Kubota Wladyka: Alan and I are working on various new projects, including writing for hired gigs as well as deciding what film we will make next.  I am also reading a lot of scripts hoping that one might grab me and be something I would want to direct.

New York, NY (Cinema Village)

Choque Clip:

https://vimeo.com/91757746

The Future of Film is Here!! Team Oscar 2015 Talks to myNewYorkeye!

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continues to make investments in the future of the industry and one of the best places that demonstrate that sincere effort is expressed in Team Oscar. 

The opportunity to become a Team Oscar was open to U.S. citizens, ages 18 to 30.  Plus it was easy, aspiring film-makers submitted, through the Academy’s Facebook page, a creative 60-second video on the subject “The best piece of advice I've ever received.”

What the Academy is doing is an amazing thing — to me— because it’s an investment in young storytellers and despite this being an over used cliche— the future is now!

“Now" is Team Oscar 2015 and despite this just being the third year, it’s quickly becoming a “new" Academy tradition. 

The 2015 Team Oscar winners are Chris Carmona – Hometown: Bell, CA; Justin Craig – Hometown: Ballston Spa, NY; Kelly FitzGerald – Hometown: Geneva, NY; Justin Floyd – Hometown: Compton, CA; Rhianna Shaheen – Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA and Patrick Walker – Hometown: Atlanta, GA. They were all selected by Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the Academy and Channing Tatum who unveiled the winners on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last month.

The winners’ videos can be viewed here: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ8RjvesnvDNtu87Xi7bV-iVDo7yRRH9F

The “lucky six” have boarded United Airlines (the official airline sponsor of the Academy and of the Oscars telecast) and will have an an opportunity to explore the renowned collections at the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library, tour motion picture studios, and participate in meet-and greets-with film-makers at Oscar Week events.

When covering the 2014 Oscars, I connected with Team Oscar and was impressed by the young storytellers and how the program was being shaped.

So, I took the opportunity to ask Team Oscar 2015 a few questions before they become completely immersed in the Oscar experience and here is what they had to say:

Q: Patrick Walker – (Hometown: Atlanta, GA): If you could pick one director to work with who would it be? If you could pick a single mentor, who would it be and why?

Patrick Walker: If I could work with one director I would choose Quentin Tarantino! He is amazing and his risky, gory style is very attractive and artistic!

If I could pick a single mentor it would definitely be Denzel Washington because he is one of the best actors of this generation and has paved the way for African American actors like myself and I believe he would give a great amount of information to me seeing as how I am following in his footsteps!

Q: Chris Carmona – (Hometown: Bell, CA): Why do you want to tell stories? If you could pick one mentor, who would it be and why?

Chris Carmona: I personally love storytelling because it’s something I love doing and something I think I'm really good at. I want to tell stories that connect with wide audiences – grounded stories – and present them with characters that they can easily relate to. I’d like the viewers of my films to learn certain lessons so that way they themselves can avoid falling into the same conflicts as the characters on the screen. I strongly believe that all stories contain some type of lesson – whatever it may be.

If I could pick one mentor to guide me in my film-making career, I would have to say David Fincher. He’s known for shooting more shots than the average director, because he’s a perfectionist. I know there’s no such thing as perfection but I think we should always aim for excellence. That’s what makes his shots so sleek and so beautiful – not to mention incredibly directed.

Q: Justin Craig – (Hometown: Ballston Spa, NY): Why is humor important in storytelling? If you could make one person laugh, at the 2015 Oscars who would it be and why?

Justin Craig: To answer your question I would say humor is important because it is universal. A laugh is a laugh in any language. Not only that, but laughter itself brings a lot of lot to people. Storytelling is a way to allow the reader or viewer to escape their own reality for a while. Many times reality can be tough, so humor provides a nice break.

As for the second question, that is tougher. I can't think of one specific person that I would love to see laugh. I feel if I can get anyone who is attending the Oscars to laugh, that would give me a great sense of satisfaction as it would allow me to relate to that person, and since they're a celebrity that could be hard otherwise.

Q: Kelly FitzGerald – (Hometown: Geneva, NY): Why is a smile important to share? If you could pick one person, at the 2015 Oscar celebration to start the "smile" selfie, who would it be and why?

Kelly FitzGerald: My best response to the first question is, why ISN'T a smile important to share? It doesn't hurt anyone, it can make other people happy and you can give and receive endless amounts of them. There is more good than harm from sharing a simple smile.

You never know who might need one :) If I could choose one person to start the "smile" selfie it would definitely be Neil Patrick Harris. His happy and charismatic personality perfectly reflects the message I tried to get across in my video. Seeing how successful Ellen's Oscar "selfie" was last year, I am very confident that Neil Patrick Harris would successfully share his smile (and mine) with the rest of the world.

Q: Rhianna Shaheen – (Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA): Ext. Outside the Kodak Theater.  The screenwriter (you) is poised to enter with five other winners of Team Oscar 2015 and the interior monologue is?

Rhianna Shaheen: SCREENWRITER - Heavy Breathing. Shoulders back. Take my picture? Ok. Say Prune?? Sure. Oh, oh, that's Meryl Streep. No biggie. Just one of the greatest trailblazing women in Hollywood. I'm cool. Werk. Werk. Are we almost in?? Let's start the show! 

Social Media Links Are Below:

Host

Neil Patrick Harris: http://twitter.com/ActuallyNPH

Oscars Producers

Neil Meron: http://twitter.com/neilmeron

Craig Zadan: http://twitter.com/craigzadan 

Hashtags

#Oscars

Academy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAcademy

Twitter: http://twitter.com/theacademy

Instagram: http://instagram.com/theacademy

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/oscars

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Oscars

Faith based Hollywood

IN JESUS TIME: GOD and Hollywood

"In Jesus time" is how actress/producer Meagan Good signs her personal emails. It always makes me smile when I receive one because it's a reminder that this successful actress ("Anchorman: The Legend Continues" opposite Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig and lead character Detective 'Joanna Locasto' in the new NBC drama “Deception") is proud of her faith and is one of several, high profile Hollywood players that let their "faith flag fly!"

This past weekend those faith power players broke "spiritual, creative and financial bread" at the Merge Summit, one of the largest events for people of faith and it's multifaceted programs.

Held in Los Angeles, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel nearly 100 of the industry’s top entertainers and executives, including Ms. Good and her husband, DeVon Franklin (SVP of Production, Columbia Pictures), lead more than 20 interactive panel discussions, workshops and Master Class sessions covering music, television, film, creative development, branding and new media.

The Summit, co-founded by Dr. Holly Carter and Robi Reed, is presented in association with Walgreens, Wellness Interactive, Inc. and Entertainment One.

The celebrity roster included Anthony Anderson (ABC’s “Black-ish”), Laurence Fishburne (ABC’s “Black-ish”), Tracee Ellis Ross (ABC’s “Black-ish”), Boris Kodjoe (BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood”), Common (Rapper/Actor), Lala Anthony (“Think Like A Man Too”), Terrence Jenkins, Erica Campbell (Mary Mary), Derek Luke (“Baggage Claim”), Clint Culpepper (President, Screen Gems), Dondre Whitfield (ABC’s “Mistresses”), Yvette Nicole Brown (NBC’s “Community”), Bishop Charles E. Blake (West Angeles Church of God In Christ), Lynn Whitfield (Emmy Award-winning Actress), Suzanne de Passe (de Passe Jones Entertainment), Harry J. Lennix (NBC’s “The Blacklist”), Edwina Findley (Tyler Perry’s “If Loving You Is Wrong”), Cast of Oxygen’s “Preachers of L.A.,” to list a few.

My chats with Megan center on the subject of balance and how she maintains her sincere love of God, career and being married to a Hollywood insider, who is also a minister.

Correct, DeVon Franklin, SVP of Production, Columbia Pictures/producer is also a minster.

In Jesus time—indeed.

"My love for GOD makes everything possible," shared Megan. "My life keeps getting fuller and I love giving back. I'm filled with joy, the kind you can only get from knowing The Lord (GOD)."

In addition to acting, Meagan runs her own production company and is involved in the independent film community. Some of her producer credits include "Miles From Home," which she starred in opposite actor/director Ty Hodges and "Video Girl," in which she also stared.

"I have a dream project brewing," Megan teased. "It involves music and faith. I'll share more. Until then, In Jesus time."

"In Jesus Time."